Enhancing the visibility and depth of pharmacy education research in Africa

Abstract

To the Editor, I read with great interest the recent scoping review by Sheehy et al., which examined the development of pharmacy education programmes across sub-Saharan Africa. The authors deserve credit for offering a thorough overview of the available literature, and for highlighting the substantial evidence gaps that remain across the region, with 31 of 49 countries lacking any country-specific publications [1]. That said, Sudan's inclusion in the review should not be taken to mean that its pharmacy education landscape is comprehensively captured. Earlier reports have documented the development of pharmacy education in the country [2], and more recent evidence shows that this education has undergone considerable adaptation in response to the ongoing armed conflict—adaptation that reflects real resilience and innovation, much of which may not yet be fully reflected in the published literature [3]. None of this diminishes the value of the review. If anything, it points to something worth keeping in mind when interpreting scoping review findings more broadly: the existence of published studies on a country does not necessarily mean the available evidence is rich or current enough to capture how its pharmacy education is actually evolving. This seems especially true in conflict-affected settings, where practical adaptations on the ground often move faster than the literature documenting them [3].

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 2026 · DOI ↗